An Urban Agenda for the European Union: About cities or with cities?

In any discussion about cities that takes place in Brussels, the ‘Urban Agenda’ for the European Union is sure to be mentioned. Is this agenda a programme with priorities for European cities or an approach to involve cities in the European debate? And did both tracks come together during the Dutch presidency of the European Union in 2016. The debate about cities has a long history in Europe. Much of what the European Union does affects cities, but cities are often not directly involved in the shaping of initiatives that come out of Brussels. And yet the main societal challenges